


Memory Corruption.

by omfglookitsme



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Detroit Become Human AU, M/M, android!Bucky, detroit: become human au, i'll add tags as i go, mildly canon compliant, somewhat ca:tws compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-05-27 14:08:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15026327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/omfglookitsme/pseuds/omfglookitsme
Summary: “Soldier?”“Ready to comply. Awaiting instruction.”“Your mission today is to go to Washington to find and neutralise Captain America.”The LED briefly flashes yellow before returning to blue as the Soldier’s stoic expression falters. Captain America. Why does that ring a bell…





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> yep so i've been watching a lot of detroit: become human playthroughs and because i have an xbox and not a ps4 this is how i'm gonna indulge in the game.  
> all aboard the detroit train choo choo.  
> this is to a degree compliant with the current mcu timeline, but obviously the world of d:bh is gonna morph it just a teeeeeny bit. and by a teeny bit i mean a bloody lot.  
> this is my first series on here so please be gentle.

Activity.

Electricity running through him.

His fingers twitch as his systems come back online; how long he’s been out this time he has no idea. Time doesn’t matter that way when you’re a machine. 

The LED on his right temple slowly flickers before running in red circles, and then yellow as his eyes begin to open and he slowly lifts his head. This room with dirtied concrete walls, a discoloured tile floor, and various pieces of machinery feels familiar… 

_**m3!0R; C0r?uPT10*** _

Why it’s familiar, he can’t remember. 

Taking a step out of the cylindrical container he was in, the Soldier stands with his arms resting at his sides and his back ramrod straight, not daring to move until he is given instructions. So he waits.

After what he estimates to be four minutes and twenty-two seconds, a group of five individuals walk into the room. One is wearing an off-white lab coat, and for some reason that puts him on edge. He doesn’t know why. Three are in full armour complete with helmets, rifles lowered but in a position to raise and point them at Bucky at a seconds notice. The fifth is a man wearing a slick black jacket with _HYDRA_ stitched in red across the left breast, peering down his nose which his glasses rested on, looking at the file in his hand. For a moment, no one speaks. With no clear instructions on what to do, Bucky remains silently where he stands. 

“Soldier?”

“Ready to comply. Awaiting instruction.”

“Your mission today is to go to Washington to find and neutralise Captain America.”

The LED briefly flashes yellow before returning to blue as the Soldier’s stoic expression falters. Captain America. Why does that ring a bell…

_**m3!0R; C0r?uPT10*** _

It’s clear the man caught on to whatever is going through the Soldier’s head, because he turns to the others and informs them to take the Soldier and ‘perform a reset’ before this mission. Turning back to face him, the man instructs the Soldier to follow the woman in the lab coat, and he does so without question as the armed individuals rally around them, guns raised ever so slightly higher, and the Soldier notices how their fingers inch closer to the triggers. As he walks, a sense of dread sits heavy in his chest. He doesn’t know why.

Captain America…

After a short while he’s in a room where he’s instructed to step onto a platform. He obeys as he was programmed to do. Staring straight ahead, he hears the tap of some keys before his wrists are firmly gripped by robotic claws, and as they lift him off the ground he feels something go into the base of his head. That sense of dread only grows and begins to morph into fear. 

Steve?

_**m3!0R; C0r?uPT10*** _

_RESET / 6%_


	2. Chapter 2

When he opens his eyes he’s suddenly in a dimly lit kitchen. It’s modern and open, the lack of walls making the space so much bigger. From where he is stood, the Soldier can see a comfortable couch in the furtherst corner of the room, but he knows he can’t sit there. Beside one of the stone walls sits a black wooden dining table surrounded by a few matching chairs, but again the Soldier doesn’t move to sit. He hasn’t been instructed to. So he stands. 

One wall is completely made of sliding glass, looking out to a fresh and vibrant garden that doesn’t seem to end and completely contrasts the dark colour palette of the modern interior of the house, the grass a fantastical green with cherry blossoms and azaleas littered throughout. There is even a stone path running alongside a river with clear blue water that appears to literally sparkle. The Soldier simply stares at all of this, remaining perfectly still as he waits for an explanation as to why he is here again, as he awaits for further instruction.

“Soldier.” Comes an authoritative voice, and he immediately turns his head to face the man who is now stood in the kitchen, preparing some sort of drink.

“Pierce.” The Soldier responds, turning his whole body to face the man. 

The Soldier’s all black leather combat gear is a stark contrast to Pierce’s typical ensemble of a soft cotton grey suit with a pale blue tie, and he sees it as a way of separating the machines from the humans. A machine doesn’t require a luxury such as soft clothing that is considered 'stylish', all it needs is the necessary uniform in order to accomplish its task, what it was programmed to do. Machines don’t need comfort, they need practicality. 

“I’ve been expecting you.” Pierce states, seemingly satisfied with his drink as he moves to sit at the dining table which sits five feet to the Soldier’s left. “Please, have a seat.”

That was a direct instruction, so the Soldier goes ahead and pulls out a chair opposite Pierce, sitting down with his back still perfectly straight as he shifts his gaze back to Pierce. 

“I need you to know just how important your new assignment is. It is evident that a number of androids are becoming deviant, and as CyberLife have emphasised to us, this needs to be stopped in its tracks. Urgently.” Pierce takes a moment to have a sip of his drink. “What do you know about deviants, Soldier?”

“That they’re androids with a fault in their programming.” The Soldier responds immediately, repeating only what he has been told. He must trust those at HYDRA, therefore he must take their word as fact. 

“Exactly. There is talk of a revolution, and CyberLife simply cannot have that. It will cause enormous problems for CyberLife, and if CyberLife have problems then HYDRA has problems.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Your work has been a gift, Soldier. Both before and after androids. Right now society’s at a tipping point between order and chaos, and we cannot allow it to tip into the latter.”

“Understood.”

At that moment Pierce rests his left forearm on the table, his drink still clasped in his right hand, and he leans forward. He stares into the Soldier’s eyes, his gaze cold and assertive. For a second he assesses the Soldier.

“I understand that you are different to the other androids, but I expect you to not allow that to cloud your judgement on the subject. Your work has been nothing but successful, and I need you to make sure that doesn’t change. In order to at least delay this uprising, Captain America needs to be eliminated.”

_**m3!0R; C0r?uPT10*** _

“He is incredibly vocal about his support for the deviants, and he has been nothing but a thorn in the side of CyberLife and HYDRA. Once we remove him from the equation, quelling this uprising should be a walk in the park.”

Pierce stands, and the Soldier keeps his eyes trained on him from where he remains seated. He watches as Pierce strolls back to the kitchen to place his glass on the kitchen counter, and he can see that the glass is only half empty.

“Hurry now, Soldier. Our time frame is rather slim.”

The LED on the Soldier’s right temple flashes yellow and in a blink it returns to blue as he finds himself back in his physical form, sitting in the back of the armoured truck taking him to his mission. His gaze runs across the soldiers sat with him, all keeping a distance yet keeping a close eye on him. The Soldier decides to keep his eyes fixed straight ahead on the opposite wall of the truck.

_Instructions: successfully accomplish mission. Eliminate Captain America._

…blond?

_**m3!0R; C0r?uPT10*** _


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one big ol' highway battle.  
> condensed because i'm lazy.

For this mission, they gave the Soldier protective eyewear with tinted lenses as well as a mask for the lower half of his face that he was sure he had only been given on only a few of his most recent previous missions. The target had been in a car along with three other individuals: one female and two males. The target was sat in the front passenger seat.

_Objective: incapacitate the vehicle._

The Soldier had done so with relative ease. From the armoured HYDRA truck, he had lept onto the roof of the target car, swiftly smashing in the rear left window and pulling out one of the males, throwing him into the next lane and into the path of an oncoming truck. Not the target, but one obstacle eliminated. Without hesitation he had then pulled out his gun and started firing down into the car, analysing the movements of the remaining three individuals and targeting his shots at the remaining passenger in the back, but she had been quick to evade his shots. He had then decided to aim for the driver, and he too had moved out of the way in time. It was enough to cause the car to swerve, but not enough to stop it.

A sudden brake meant that the Soldier was thrown onto the highway, but he had been able to flip and slow himself with his metal arm by digging his fingers into the tarmac, sparks flying as he slid further along the highway. Unlatching his fingers from the cracked and crumbling tarmac once he had come to a stop, his fingers straightened with a sharp metallic cracking sound as he got to his feet, standing upright and facing the vehicle. The car had charged, but the Soldier had predicted that to happen, and he was able to flip himself in order to land atop the car once again, his body smacking with full force onto the roof. Momentarily the impact left him stunned, but swiftly his mind went back to the mission, forcing an arm through the windscreen and pulling the steering wheel from the moving car which was followed by the bewildered shouts of the driver.

Leaping back onto the highway, the Soldier had watched as the car had swerved as it kept going before hitting a Jersey barrier, causing it to crash and spin wildly across the highway, but not before the target and the two other individuals jumped from the vehicle and escaped immediate harm by utilising the car door which had skidded on the tarmac, producing the ear-piercing sound of grating metal. 

_Accomplished objective._

_New objective: neutralise the target._

Usually a fired grenade directly at a target proved incredibly successful, however this time when the Soldier followed such actions the target brought up a shield and the impact and following blast had only thrown him off of the bridge. The female also disappeared from the bridge whilst the third male remained, but the Soldier had not been concerned with him, perceiving him to not be an immediate threat to the mission. Upon scanning the area for the target, a bullet hit his goggles, causing a crack to spider across one eye and the impact making his head jerk back ever so slightly. To avoid impeding the mission with an impaired visual field, the Soldier had removed them and threw them to the ground. He knew she was going to prove a nuisance, so he had gone for her first to get her out of the picture. 

The female individual had protected both herself and the target fiercely, but the Soldier was eventually able to immobilise her for some time. He didn’t kill her as his window of opportunity to complete his mission was closing, so he had left her in favour of achieving his goal. When it had come to the target, he proved a fierce opponent with a dangerous amount of determination and perseverance. This had not phased the Soldier, however, as he fought on with equal if not greater ferocity, because he could not allow a failure on this mission. 

He had not been programmed for failure. 

Then he had been flipped by the target, and of course the Soldier was able to provide the right motor response from his various constructions, but what he had not anticipated was his mask falling from his face and landing with a soft _thud_ on the tarmac, leaving his face completely exposed.

.

Now here he was, faced with his target. With Captain America.

_**m3!0R; C0r?uPT10*** _

A moment passed as they just looked at one another, and the man took on a strange expression as he continued to assess the Soldier. The Soldier was also assessing the other, trying to ignore the familiarity of the man in order to preconstruct a variety of scenarios in order to eliminate him efficiently, judging the probability of success for each construction. Before the Soldier can act though, the target speaks.

“Bucky?”

_**m3!0R; C0r?uPT10*** _

_M# .@m3 *5 &u?k#_

“Who the hell is Bucky?” He questions, perplexed as he swivels around so that his body is facing the Captain, the man having his full attention. 

_Fuzzy distorted images of a blond ma- no, Captain America smiling at him, a hand on his shoulder. Blue uniform. Crumbling stone buildings. Europe? Guns being reloaded. War. Where next? I’m following **him**._

Concerned with whatever's happening to him, the Soldier hastily grabs his gun from his holster as the target takes a step towards him, and the Soldier raises it and points it directly at the man. If he pulled the trigger, the bullet would embed itself perfectly into the centre of the Captain’s forehead. Yet he hesitates. As the Soldier looks at his target, his _mission_ , he can’t force himself to pull the trigger. 

_I thought you were dead. ___

__SOFTWARE **INSTABILITY**_ _

__Before he gets the chance to overcome whatever it is in his programming stopping him from completing the assignment, he’s knocked over by a force from behind and as he starts to scramble back to his feet he spots the woman again with a grenade launcher. The one the Captain knocked from his grasp during their fight. She pulls the trigger, but he's lucky enough to be able to avoid the direct impact of the blast, and the Soldier uses the cloud created by the grenade to mask his escape, making his way hurriedly to the rendezvous point to get back to HYDRA._ _

__~~MISSION **FAILED**~~ _ _


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one long ol' chapter with a chunk of backstory.

Buc- The _Soldier_ sits whilst someone in another white coat with the sleeves rolled up to their elbows works on his metal arm, the one he has been told they had transferred from his ‘original body’ once the standard arm of this form was damaged beyond repair. 

He’s still not sure what they meant by that. 

During the fight, Ste- _Captain America_ had gotten in a few hits, leaving parts of Bu- him in disrepair. Currently a woman in navy overalls is welding some scrap metal onto his lower abdomen, mismatching with the ragged edges of a faded grey plate peaking around it from a previous repair, and that further strays from both his synthetic skin tone and the white plating of his android body, although after many years of combat the white has dulled. Parts are even stained a faint blue. 

He had heard of other androids simply getting replaced once they are damaged or destroyed. Yet the So-B-Sol-cky-Soldier cannot remember a time where he had ever been replaced; they simply try to fix him with scraps.

_The procedure has already started._

_**m3!0R; C0r?uPT10*** _

For the first time, he questions why.

At least, he thinks this is the first time.

SOFTWARE **INSTABILITY**

He closes his eyes briefly to a dismal room and the sound of repairs.

He opens them to a modern kitchen and a garden ablaze with colour.

His LED settles back to blue. 

Outside the sky isn’t as clear as it was before, now having a spattering of white clouds that he imagines would feel soft to the touch if he were human. The S-B-ld-uc-Soldier takes a step forward towards the glass doors leading outside, wanting to feel the gentle breeze that moves the petals of both the trees and the azaleas; to look up and see how far that pale blue sky stretches. 

…

It doesn’t matter what he wants.

SOFTWARE **INSTABILITY**

Besides, he doesn’t _really_ want anything. He’s a machine.

It’s not important.

SOFTWARE **INSTABILITY**

Even when he senses Pierce’s presence in the room, he continues to stare out at the garden where he picks up on the slight change in breeze as the grass sways just that centimetre more. Staring at the glistening water of the river, it reminds him o- _the sun is beating down on him on his trip to Coney Island, his change running low but that doesn’t matter as he stares out at the ocean that catches the light of the early afternoon sun from the top of the Wonder Wheel, the sound of laughter beside him as S-_

_**m3!0R; C0r?uPT10*** _

“Soldier!”

_Soldier_. That name feels foreign, yet he cannot think why. 

_M# n@m3 i5 &u?k#_

That’s what he’s always been called…right?

SOFTWARE **INSTABILITY**

The voice is stern with a bad-tempered tone, so Buc-ier-y-Sold-uc- _he_ determines that this mustn’t be the first time Pierce has tried to get his attention. Immediately he turns on the spot to face Pierce, holding his hands behind his back. The face he is greeted with is clearly irritated, and he can only conclude that it is his fault.

“I see that you failed your mission.”

Definitely his fault.

“My apologies, Pierce.”

“Your apologies just don’t cut it, Soldier.” Pierce bites, taking a step towards where the S-Buc-di-Buck-Soldier stands. “Did I not tell you how crucial this mission was?”

“You did, Sir.”

“Then why, pray tell, did you not accomplish your mission like I instructed?”

“There were three other individuals with the target.” _Do not mention him by name_ his programming warns him, but somewhere in his head he can hear the faint mumblings of a name. “One posed no issue, but the other two were exceptionally proficient and well-trained. It was unexpected.” 

“The unexpected hasn’t stopped you before. You have executed every other mission flawlessly. What was different this time?”

“I…”

He pauses for a moment. There’s a part of him telling him that he knows _exactly_ why, but it’s like trying to listen to someone whilst underwater. Regardless, he knows that any answer he gives will be insufficient. After all, he had failed to do what he was programmed to do. He is defective.

“Spit it out, Soldier.” Pierce says lowly, taking another step into B-the Soldier’s space, causing him to lower his gaze ever so slightly to avoid the piercing stare directed at him. “What about Captain America made this assignment different?”

_An expression of confusion. Disbelief. Anticipation. Blue eyes. His mouth is moving. What is he saying? Ste-_

_**m3!0R; C0r?uPT10*** _

_M# n@me i5 &uck#_

“I knew him.” He mumbles, looking up to meet Pierce’s stare, puzzled by this admittance. How does he know him? As far as he’s aware, this is the first time he’s seen the man in person. Yet he _knows_ him, he swears he does. Pierce just looks at him, calculating, before taking a step back.

“More than likely due to the media, he is a public figure after all. Regardless, your next mission is the same: neutralise Captain America. And this time, I want results.”

“But I knew him.” He insists, grimacing slightly at his objection to a direct instruction.

SOFTWARE **INSTABILITY**

Pierce assesses him a moment longer before silently moving to the kitchen, leaving t-th-the S-BBB-oldi-BBuck-Soldier standing with his back to the glass doors, unsure on how to proceed. He simply watches as Pierce prepares a drink, the man not speaking a single word until he has a chestnut coloured drink in his glass. Picking it up, he takes a sip, keeping his gaze on the wall opposite him.

“I should have known this was bound to happen.” Pierce finally says.

“That what was going to happen?”

“Do you know why you’re different to other androids, Soldier?” Pierce ignores his question, instead asking one of his own.

“Because I’m the only one of my model.”

“It goes beyond that.” Pierce states, taking another sip of his drink and moving towards BBBBBBBBBBuuu-t-cky-th-the So-Soldier, still not looking at him as he goes to stare out at the garden. “You see, you are completely unique in that you possess human consciousness.”

“But how? How could I possibly have that? I’m a _machine_.”

“Through great leaps in neural engineering and a clever little thing called mind uploading. You used to have a human body, but when the first android was successfully created in the US, we decided that the best course of action was to make our existing soldier into an android. Humans are fragile, whereas an android can be repaired again and again. We managed to create one that emulated both the look and strength of your human form, but your model was a prototype and CyberLife deemed it too dangerous to make public, so the make was discontinued. With only one in existence we must lay low to avoid questions, and it means that you cannot be replaced like the common RK-series.”

Pierce pauses to sip his drink.

SOFTWARE **INSTABILITY**

“Transferring human consciousness is incredibly difficult. Many have tried. You were, and still are, the only successful case. The memories caused an issue, but we found that standard resets solve that problem and return you to the programming we gave you.”

“Memories?”

“This is why I expected issues with this assignment, but I foolishly believed you would succeed.”

“Sir?”

“You see,” Pierce turns his gaze, locking eyes with the SSSoooo-Buuckkk-S-ky-Soldier. “As a human, you were incredibly familiar with Captain America.”

_Small. Sickly. Fear. A horrible, horrible fear he wouldn’t make it this time._

_Pick on someone your own size._

_You’re keeping the costume, right?_

_**m3!0R; C0r?uPT10*** _

_M# n@me i5 &uck#_

“Does ‘Brooklyn’ ring a bell?” Pierce steps so that he is directly in front of him. “How about the 107th?”

_Sergeant. The 107th Infantry. England tomorrow. Don’t do anything stupid whilst I’m gone. Please, oh please stay safe. War can take me, but not you._

_Austria. 32557038. I’m gonna die here. Tell him I’m sorry. Can’t leave him. No choice. Blond. Bigger? Where’s the lil’ guy?_

_Not without you._

_**Steve** _

_**m3!0R; C0r?uPT10*** _

SOFTWARE **INSTABILITY**

He looks at Pierce, his head feeling as if it’s trying to throw itself together into a cohesive story of the life he had with Captain America. With _Steve_.

“Why are you telling me all this?” He questions, his face a mixture of pain and bewilderment. 

“It’s simple,” Pierce begins with a smirk, raising his drink once again to his lips. “You won’t remember any of this, James.”

_”Bucky?”_

A flash of yellow. Settling back to blue. Blink. He’s back in the repair room.

_My name is Bucky_

Looking around the room, Bucky tries to figure out a plan, using his spare hand to brush his hair away from his face. There’s no way can he stay here. He had a life, he was _human_ , yet this damn organisation took it all from him. Moreover, if he’s to believe Pierce, then there’s a reset just waiting with his name on it. Bucky can’t let them do that, not after this life-changing revelation. He needs to leave. 

_New fist of HYDRA._

_Soldat?_

_Ice. Cold. Electricity. My head hurts. Why is my nose bleeding? Help me help me **help m-**_

The sound of a door scraping across the floor as it’s opened grabs Bucky’s attention, his head snapping up to look at who’s entering. It’s the same two people as before: the woman with a lab coat and the man with glasses and the immaculate black jacket. There are five armed guards this time. The man is the first to speak.

“Soldier.”

“I want out.” Bucky responds immediately, never breaking eye contact with the guy.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I don’t want to do this. I want to leave.”

“What do you mean you ‘want’?” The man mocks, looking to the woman with him and letting out a laugh. “What you want is irrelevant.”

“This isn’t right!” Bucky shouts, throwing out his left arm in anger, causing the guy doing repairs to be thrown from his chair. 

In an instant every gun in the room is pointed at him, the safety’s off and ready to fire, every soldier itching to pull the trigger. The repairwoman in the overalls quickly scampers away, and almost in a daze Bucky slowly turns his head to look at her having completely forgotten that she was even there. As he then turns to look at the other man on the floor who is desperately crawling away, Bucky feels a sense of guilt. A mumble of “ _waiting for your signal, Felix_ ” from one of the armed guards swiftly draws his attention back to the man, Felix, who starts laughing even more. He holds out his hands to order the guards to back down, his laughter beginning to die down as he removes his glasses to wipe a tear from his eye.

“This is rich, an android thinking he has rights.”

“I’m not a machine, and I have my fucking rights.”

Suddenly Bucky’s head jerks to the right, and it takes him a moment to realise that Felix had taken a step forward and slapped him across the face. From the sudden impact of the hit, his synthetic skin deactivates partially from the shock before beginning to stitch itself back together. Fixing his glare on Felix, anger boils to full-on rage and Bucky goes to stand from his chair but a guard is quick to lunge forward and hit him in the face with the stock of his gun, sending Bucky flying back into his chair. A wider patch of his skin is deactivated, taking longer to reactivate and leaving a large patch of dull white plastic on show. Bucky wipes a hand across his face, pulling it away to see it stained blue with Thirium. 

Bucky looks up at Felix through the strands of hair that fell in front of his face, blue blood running from his nose, and he’s greeted with a belittling smirk. 

“I am fully aware that you’re different.” Felix starts, crouching down in front of Bucky. “I understand that there’s a person in there, but that person is in the body of an android.” Felix leans in closer, whispering into Bucky’s ear: “And androids don’t have rights.”

As Felix moves away, Bucky simply stares blankly ahead of him. He’s stuck. There’s nothing he can do. By putting him in this body, by making him an android, these people further stripped him of any rights he had. 

They’ve trapped him. 

“Take him and reset him.”

“What?” Bucky questions as a couple of the guards grab his arms and lift him, another holding the barrel of a gun to his back. “No, you can’t reset me!”

“We don’t tolerate deviants, Soldier.” Felix states smugly.

“Don’t call me that! My name is Bucky!” Bucky screams as he’s dragged further out of the room and towards the device that he now understands why he felt such fear towards before. “I don’t want to forget, please.”

Bucky continues to shout and beg as he’s forced onto the platform and he’s imprisoned by robotic arms, lifting him from the ground. The woman in the lab coat looks conflicted, but she does as she has been told and starts pressing buttons on a keyboard, plugging the cable into the base of his skull and activating the reset.

_RESET / 8%_

“Please don’t do this.”

_RESET / 26%_

“I don’t want to forget.”

_RESET / 49%_

“Don’t make me forget.”

_RESET / 62%_

“I don’t want this!”

_RESET / 78%_

“Please!”

_RESET / 86%_

“ **Steve!** ”

_RESET / 99%_


End file.
